Fogging refers to the usage of an anti-microbial pesticide in an aerosolized form in an attempt to kill mold. In the United States mold regulations are still developing but there are organizations that set industry standards and guidelines such as the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). The IICRC produces and maintains a consensus based standard and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wrote a remediation guideline that states that vapor based anti-microbial have not been shown to be able to effectively and safely be used for remediation.
The allure of fogging is many companies state that the aerosolized anti-microbial can kill mold in a property without having to go to each area to remove the mold. While many anti-microbials can indeed kill fungal growth if the aerosol can reach the mold but that does not solve the problem. On the contrary, it could actually lead to three additional problems all while not solving the original problem of how the mold got there in the first place.
- The first problem that fogging can create is the introduction of another unknown chemical into your home. For people that are experiencing mold illness this also comes with a heightened sensitivity and further contamination is not desirable.
- Secondly, by killing the existing mold in place this could trigger a massive release of spores as well as mycotoxins as the mold will be threatened. This is going to then allow for colonization of the entire structure as well as contamination for the occupants.
- Lastly, if the mold was indeed killed and has released all of the spores and mycotoxins now the dead mold will begin to break up and dissipate in the environment. The mold fragments can be even smaller than the spores and create allergic reactions of their own.
Mold remediation is not accomplished with fogging, mold remediation is fixing the source of the water that is feeding the mold and removing the mold in a safe manner to protect the remediators and well as occupants.
